NAEC 2022 Spring Educational Conference

Record crowd meets in Sarasota. 

photos by Tripp Cook and Jessica Harris

The National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) held its 2022 Spring Educational Conference on March 20-23 in Sarasota, Florida. A record crowd attended the event held at The Hyatt Regency Sarasota, where the weather was near perfect the entire time and the hotel and convention spaces were both comfortable and convenient for the group of industry experts who traveled from across the U.S., Canada and beyond to participate. 

Many attendees commented on the pent-up demand to meet in person and that, finally, in early 2022 most felt comfortable enough to do so. While last year’s Spring Conference was held in person in Tucson, Arizona, there were some people still not traveling at that time, preventing them from attending. This year, there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic may be behind us. The excitement of being together again was palpable. 

Having attended many of these Spring Conferences, all wonderful in their own right, there was something special about this one. It was positive on a variety of levels – from the energy of the attendees and NAEC staff, to the diverse, interesting educational sessions, and the robustness of the industry outlook being discussed on the golf course and at the receptions. According to NAEC Executive Director Rená Cozart, the official attendee count was 287. “The industry is ready to get back to business, and we think this positively impacted our numbers,” she said.

Sunday, March 20

The conference began as it usually does, with Contractor, Associate and Supplier Member sessions on Sunday afternoon. Cozart said the sessions provided opportunities for members to ask questions and bring up topics of discussion. 

The well-attended Welcome Reception held that evening offered a variety of dishes, including Cuban sandwiches, sliders, a pasta station, a salad station and a bevy of desserts, including the much-talked-about peanut butter and jelly sandwich cookies, plus an open bar. Midway through the evening, after guests had settled in and had a bite to eat, Cozart welcomed everyone to both the reception and the conference and introduced Don Gelestino of Champion Elevator and René Hertsberg of Urban Elevator, who said a few words to the crowd. Hertsberg opened, saying: 

“We’re so lucky to be here doing this thing. We’re lucky for a number of reasons; one reason is that COVID, at least as far as the economy is concerned, is mostly behind us. … Another reason is we work in an industry that is open enough for us to pursue the American dream, which is what is happening here. There is enough money in the trade for all of us to be successful.”

Gelestino followed, saying: 

“The NAEC has come a long way. The new leadership team is doing some very successful stuff. The committees are amazing, and they’ve put together a wonderful agenda here. We are breaking records with the Spring Conference attendance. You are all a part of making this successful, so thank you. This is a networking opportunity for everyone to get to know each other; it’s an educational opportunity for all of us to learn and educate one another. Let’s not let these chances go by. They don’t happen often. Have a great conference.”

Monday, March 21

The Opening Breakfast began with a moment of silence led by NAEC President Hope Evans. Evans and Cozart then recognized NAEC’s Education Manager Kathy Bell for her 15 years of service to the association and the growth she has helped bring to the Certified Elevator Technician (CET®) and Certified Accessibility and Private Residence Lift Technician (CAT®) programs. Bell received enthusiastic applause from the large crowd.

Evans went on to discuss NAEC news and achievements, including increased automation for CET and CAT; a working strategic plan; new membership benefits; a growing NexGen group; new regional workshops; a growing Vertical Transportation Management Program program; a Qualified Elevator Inspector program that is taking off; and a new slate of officers preparing for their new positions, which take effect at the NAEC fall convention. “2021 was quite a year, and 2022 is shaping up to be even better,” Evans said. 

Jeff Eaton of Lift Business Advisors introduced the morning’s keynote speaker, Eric Zommers, senior vice president and general manager, Mitsubishi Electric Elevators & Escalators, as “one of our own.” Zommers thanked NAEC for the invitation to deliver the conference’s keynote address, saying, “It’s a treat to be here. NAEC is a great organization, and this is an amazing industry. It’s also an interesting time to be in this industry.” 

With humor and much-appreciated anecdotes, Zommers discussed elevator trends in depth, explaining where we are, where we’re headed and the opportunities and challenges the industry faces. While having an industry insider deliver the Spring Conference keynote address is a departure from the norm of having a professional motivational speaker do it, Cozart said the choice was based on feedback from NAEC members. “We opted to ask a high-level industry professional to provide their perspective on the state of the industry post-COVID,” she said.    

The conference’s first three education sessions were held after the Opening Breakfast. Nick Gretsuk of CEC Elevator Cab discussed “Elevator Air Sanitization,” to a full room, while consultant Magdalena Krstanoski shed light on “Construction Documents, Project Delivery Methods and Safety Overview” to an equally packed audience. Bali Harmath with Claddagh covered a hot topic in “Why is Cloud Monitoring Revolutionary?” later that morning. 

For most, the afternoon was spent offsite at either the official golf tournament held at The Meadows Country Club or on a city sightseeing trolley tour. Your author opted for the latter and learned many fascinating things about Sarasota, like its “founding father” is John Ringling of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, whose mansion and museum are some of Sarasota’s most popular attractions. Pitstops at beautiful Lido Beach and a tour of Downtown Sarasota were other highlights. It was an enjoyable, laid-back afternoon with industry friends.

Tuesday, March 22

Tuesday’s focus was education, and there were plenty of top-notch sessions to attend. To start the day, Janus’ Jonathan Latham discussed “Inclusive Communication.” More than 70 people attended the morning’s panel discussion, where panelists Amy DiPaolo of Champion elevator, Evans of EMR Elevator, Cindy Gielarowski of ICE/Industial Commercial Elevator, Cece Matot of Matot, Inc. and Loannie Reyes of Authentic Elevator Services tackled numerous topics, including challenges they’ve faced in the industry, recruiting tips and the important role NAEC has played in their careers.  

Eight more sessions filled the morning and afternoon. About half of the sessions focused on management/leadership topics, including “Change Management Best Practices” by Vong Keovongsa of Elevator Service Group, “How To Be a More Efficient Project Manager” by Travis Hall of Alliance Elevator Solutions and “Using Innovation to Improve Safety and Profit” by Steve Wurth of Wurtec. The other half of the sessions provided CET and/or CAT credit and included “Bolt-On Business Models” by David Baxter of Harmar, “Elevator Contractor Cyberthreats and Defense Strategies” by Jonathan Taub with FIELDBOSS, “A18.1 2020 Update” by Doug Boydston of Handi-Lift, “Giving Elevators a Lift” by Tom Roller of Inpro, and “Door Look Monitoring” by Daniel Baltzegar of Vantage Elevator Solutions and Omar Gil of Argus Elevator. 

All sessions were well attended, and many were standing room only. Audience members took advantage of their chances to ask questions, share experiences and gain knowledge. According to Cozart, “the most common feedback was enthusiasm for the industry education speakers and the variety of sessions offered. We have been so pleased with the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the attendees.” 

That evening’s reception provided everyone with time to chat and wind down from the day while enjoying a cocktail or two. There was no shortage of chatter about the day’s education and things learned. Your author, for one, made sure to catch up with a couple of speakers to tell them how much she enjoyed their topics. 

Wednesday, March 23

Rather than the Roundtable Discussions that usually characterize the final morning’s education, this Spring Conference featured individual education sessions instead, something Cozart said members asked for. Starting the morning were Rudy Boyance, Jeff Eaton and Jessica Hellman of Lift Business Advisors covering “An Insider’s Guide to Managing Your Elevator Business: Managing by the Numbers to Improve Profitability” and Graham Taylor of Wessex Lifts discussing an “Introduction to Through the Floor Lifts: Specifications, Installations and Compliance.” 

John Curzon of American Elevator Group attracted a standing-room only crowd for his session titled, “10 Benefits of Making Your CRM Your Next Salesperson.” He was intent on making the large crowd known to Ken Hamby of Michelin, whose session on “AMSE A17/CSA B44 Code Updates and Impacts on Escalator/Moving Walk Applications” was being held concurrently. The clapping and cheering Curzon’s audience happily performed on command were indicative of the spirit of the event itself — one full of light-hearted camaraderie, friendly competition, lifelong learning and encouragement. 

The conference concluded with a first aid course led by Mike Ryan of Peelle and the traditional, popular Dregs Party. For those in attendance who were new to the event or the industry, they witnessed some of what’s best about both. One such person, Lori Wolking, NAEC’s new national development officer, said, “Sarasota was a fantastic experience! Since this was my first conference with NAEC, it was a great opportunity for me to meet and get to know our members and hear how we can continue to provide opportunities for them to learn, grow and network together.” That’s what it’s all about.

NAEC’s 2023 Spring Educational Conference will take place at the Waikoloa Marriott in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii, on April 16-19, 2023. This fall, the NAEC Annual Convention & Expo will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sept. 18-21 at the Kentucky International Convention Center. More can be found about both at naec.org.